Swimming Holes for City Folk

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By Eve M. Kahn

Sept. 10, 2014

City waterfronts where swimming is banned have become pet peeves for Jane Withers, a London design consultant and a founder of Wonderwater, an environmental advocacy group. “Urban Plunge,” an exhibition that she curated at the Roca London Gallery, shows how natural bodies of water in metropolises have become primed for public dipping. Marshy basking spots for Londoners are being created in the Thames; Copenhagen already allows bathing in its harbor and the Manhattan coastline could soon have a floating cross-shaped swimming hole called +POOL. Amphitheaters, zigzagging boardwalks, and artificial hummocks surround the swimming areas, so bathers are not left vulnerable in open water. “I like the idea of these semi-wild experiences,” Ms. Withers said. The show opens to coincide with the London Design Festival, Sept. 13 to 21, but runs through Jan. 10, 2015. Information: 44-20-7610-9503 or rocalondongallery.com.

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A version of this article appears in print on , Section D, Page 3 of the New York edition with the headline: Swimming Holes for City Folk. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe